BackgroundThe heterogeneity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicates diagnosis and treatment, and previous prognostic models have failed to yield satisfactory results. Given that the metabolic reprogramming of cholesterol plays a crucial role in the pathogenic mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma, this study was conducted as a breakthrough point.MethodsUtilizing multi-cohort data from TCGA, ICGC, and GEO, we screened Cholesterol metabolism-related genes (CMRGs) to construct a CMRG-derived prognostic model based on two key genes: KIF20A and NDC80. Predictive performance was evaluated via Kaplan-Meier and ROC analyses. Additionally, the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) was characterized using CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE algorithms.ResultsThe two-gene signature stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups, with high-risk patients showing poorer survival (HR = 2.71, P < 0.001). Elevated risk scores correlated with an immunosuppressive TME enriched in monocytes/macrophages. Exploratory anti-PD-1 analysis suggested higher risk scores were associated with non-response, warranting further validation.ConclusionThe integrated nomogram achieved AUC values of 0.747 (95% CI: 0.665-0.830), 0.728 (95% CI: 0.652-0.804), and 0.778 (95% CI: 0.706-0.851) for 1-, 2-, and 3-year predictions. This KIF20A/NDC80-based model is a reliable prognostic tool for HCC; its immunotherapeutic utility remains exploratory and requires prospective validation.
Objective:Navigated TMS (nTMS) motor mapping is typically performed at a fixed percentage of the resting motor threshold (rMT), most commonly 110%. The Mills-Nithi algorithm's upper threshold (UT), the minimal stimulation intensity evoking MEPs with 100% probability, has been proposed as an alternative. This study compared motor mapping at 110% rMT with the Mills-Nithi method in healthy subjects and patients with brain tumors. Methods:11 healthy controls and 14 patients with supratentorial tumors underwent FDI motor mapping using both UT of the Mills-Nithi algorithm, and 110% rMT estimated with an adaptive threshold-hunting algorithm. Outcomes included the number of pulses, hotspot localization, map area, volume, centers of gravity, and DTI parameters (i.e., fiber count, FA, ADC, fiber length). Personalized sigmoid curves were fitted to estimate response probabilities. An independent control group of 12 healthy subjects underwent two nTMS mapping sessions at 110% rMT to establish baseline Earth Movers Distance (EMD) values. Results:Motor map characteristics and DTI metrics did not differ significantly between methods in either group. In healthy subjects, UT-based motor mapping required fewer stimuli than 110% rMT (110%: 256 ± 95 stimuli; UT: 227 ± 97; p = 0.03) and was more likely to elicit responses (p = 0.0375), with markedly reduced inter-individual variability (p < 0.0001). Conclusions:Motor mapping based on UT produces results comparable to 110% rMT, while improving procedural efficiency and response consistency in healthy subjects. Significance:Our findings support the Mills-Nithi algorithm as a practical alternative for clinical nTMS motor mapping.
BackgroundCirculating collagen turnover markers, including reC1M, PRO-C3, C3M, C4G, PRO-C8, TUM, PRO-C11, and PRO-C17, may serve as non-invasive biomarkers in gastric cancer (GC).MethodsEight serum collagen turnover markers were quantified in 74 pretreated GC patients from the SUNCASE trial and compared to 50 healthy donors. Markers were assessed at baseline and longitudinally after the first and second chemotherapy cycle. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by AUROC analysis; prognostic value was assessed for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses.ResultsAll markers except C4G were significantly elevated in GC patients vs. controls (p < 0.001). C3M showed the strongest diagnostic performance (AUROC 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95; sensitivity 78%, specificity 77%). Elevated reC1M (HR 2.70), C3M (HR 2.33), PRO-C11 (HR 2.14), and TUM (HR 2.09) were independently prognostic of shorter OS. None of the established tumor markers (CA 19-9, CEA, CA 72-4) retained prognostic significance. Longitudinally, a >20% reduction in PRO-C3 and PRO-C11 after the first chemotherapy cycle was associated with longer OS.ConclusionCollagen turnover markers reC1M, C3M, TUM, and PRO-C11 are independent prognostic markers for OS in advanced GC. C3M demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing GC patients from healthy controls.
The recent position statement by the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) provides a critical roadmap for the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical neurophysiology. AI has immense potential to augment existing practice, but careful navigation is required to overcome challenges to efficient and ethical clinical deployment. The challenges - including fragmented workflow, opaque governance, ethical liabilities and automation bias - are critically reviewed and strategies are proposed to ensure the seamless transition to widespread implementation within real-world clinical neurophysiology practice.
Objective:To quantify the effect of acute caffeine intake on fasciculation frequency in healthy adults using muscle ultrasound and to explore differences between muscle groups and age categories. Methods:In this monocentric intraindividual pre-post study, 54 neurologically healthy adults aged 20-50 years underwent ultrasound examination of six muscles: biceps brachii, first dorsal interosseous, abductor pollicis brevis, vastus medialis, gastrocnemius caput laterale, and abductor hallucis. Fasciculations were recorded for 120 s per muscle at baseline and repeated 45 min after administration of a single oral caffeine dose of 2 mg/kg body weight. Changes in fasciculation frequency were analyzed within individuals and compared between participants aged 20-34 and 35-50 years. Results:Acute caffeine intake was associated with an increase in fasciculation frequency across most examined muscles. The largest increases were observed in the gastrocnemius and abductor hallucis, whereas changes in the vastus medialis were minimal. Upper limb muscles showed moderate increases in fasciculation activity. Age-related differences were identified: younger participants demonstrated relatively greater increases in upper limb muscles, while older participants showed more pronounced increases in lower limb muscles. Although interindividual variability was present, the overall pattern suggested enhanced motor unit excitability following caffeine intake. Conclusions:Acute caffeine intake appears to increase ultrasound-detectable fasciculation frequency in healthy adults. The effect is muscle-dependent and may vary with age. Significance:Recent caffeine consumption may influence the detection and interpretation of fasciculations during neuromuscular assessment. Consideration of caffeine intake before muscle ultrasound or electromyographic examinations may improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce misinterpretation of benign fasciculation activity. (218 words).
Objective:Falls are common in individuals with dementia and pose a significant problem in acute hospital care. Aging and dementia affect functional brain networks including the default mode network (DMN), dorsal attention network (DAN) and salience network (SAN). The DAN and SAN are essential for the rapid detection of responses to unexpected stimuli. We hypothesize that global efficiency within these networks is reduced in patients with dementia who experience falls compared with those who do not. Methods:We analyzed 347 inpatients with dementia from a neurological clinic in Vienna, Austria. Of 153 available EEGs, only those with normal findings were included. FC was calculated using the phase-locking-value across delts, theta, alpha, and beta bands. The characteristic path length of the DAN, SAN and DMN was computed. Results:Fallers showed reduced global efficiency in the DAN. FC between the right rostral middle frontal gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus was decreased in delta, theta, and alpha bands - regions involved in visual stimulus processing and executive control. Conclusions:Reduced DAN connectivity may impair the ability to respond to unexpected stimuli, increasing fall risk in individuals with dementia. This supports the role of attention network dysfunction in motoric cognitive risk syndrome. Significance:Falls are a significant problem in dementia, not well understood so far. Identifying network level dysfunction in dementia related falls offers a novel biomarker for risk stratification and possible targets for future interventions.
Objective:EEG is an essential diagnostic tool in epilepsy. Many patients with intellectual disability and epilepsy reside in residential care facilities and do not have access to EEG, as the modality is not available on-site. Additionally, due to poor cooperation, transporting these patients to specialized hospital-based EEG centers is often difficult or impossible resulting in lack or delayed diagnostic evaluation. Mobile, point-of-care EEG systems, with electrodes that can be easily applied outside the hospital by caregivers without formal training in EEG recording, have the potential to bridge this diagnostic gap. Methods:In this prospective multicenter study, we assessed the feasibility and clinical utility of a point-of-care EEG system in residential care facilities. EEG electrodes were applied by local personnel without prior training in EEG recording. Data was uploaded to a secure cloud platform and remotely interpreted by experts. Results:We recruited 25 participants. EEG recording could be completed in 22 participants. The recordings were clinically interpretable in 17 participants and provided complete answers to the referrals in 11 participants. No technical failures of the EEG device or data transmission were observed. Conclusions:Our results demonstrate the feasibility and clinical utility of point-of-care mobile EEG for the diagnosis of epilepsy in residential care facilities. Significance:Point-of-care mobile EEG has the potential to improve equity in access to neurophysiological diagnostics.
Objective Microstates derived from EEG amplitude and connectivity states from EEG phase examine distinct aspects of the brain's dynamic organization. However, it is unclear how sensitive they are to changes in functional connectivity in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined pre- and post-task alterations of brain activity in AD patients to compare the ability of microstates and connectivity states to capture disease-related network dysfunction. Methods Resting-state EEG (RS-EEG) was recorded before and after a memory task in fifteen patients with AD and fifteen healthy controls. During the memory task, either low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the parieto-occipital region or sham stimulation was applied. We quantified microstates and phase-based connectivity states in the alpha frequency range from the RS-EEG. Results While microstates showed task-related alterations in healthy controls only, connectivity states were more sensitive to alterations in the AD group. rTMS appeared to reduce these task-related alterations in connectivity states. Connectivity states indicated a shift towards lower, more diffuse connectivity in AD patients. Connectivity states were correlated with memory task performance and amyloid-beta levels in the AD group. Conclusions Connectivity states indicated decreased task-related network stability in AD patients, which correlated with memory task performance. The findings support the neural efficiency hypothesis, which states that more efficient brain network optimization during tasks is linked to better performance. Significance Given the progressive decline of alpha power in AD patients, phase-based connectivity states provide valuable complementary information to microstates and may serve as a biomarker for assessing large-scale network alterations in relation to disease progression.
Objective:Sensorimotor beta activity provides a real-time marker of motor-network state, but whether electroencephalography (EEG)-derived timing of peripheral stimulation can modulate ipsilateral motor output remains unclear. We tested whether EEG-timed neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) alters ipsilateral transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked motor responses in humans. Methods:Twenty right-handed healthy participants completed four sessions of 24 Hz NMES applied to the left extensor digitorum communis. NMES train onset was triggered at four nominal timing conditions derived from the ongoing 24 Hz EEG component over the ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex. Ipsilateral motor output was assessed with TMS before and after each intervention. Peak-to-peak amplitudes of ipsilateral TMS-evoked motor responses were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Results:EEG-timed NMES produced timing-dependent and muscle-specific changes in ipsilateral TMS-evoked motor response amplitudes. Flexor responses were suppressed across timing conditions, whereas extensor responses increased selectively in one EEG-derived timing condition. This response pattern dissociated generalized antagonist suppression from timing-specific facilitation of the stimulated extensor motor output. Conclusions:Ipsilateral TMS-evoked motor responses are sensitive to the temporal alignment between peripheral input and ongoing EEG-recorded ipsilateral sensorimotor activity. Significance:EEG-timed NMES provides a human neurophysiological framework for probing state-dependent sensorimotor coupling and may inform future closed-loop peripheral neuromodulation strategies.
Objective:Surgery and anesthesia can be associated with postoperative neurological injury, especially in individuals with diminished cognitive reserve. Timely identification of at-risk patients enables deployment of preventive strategies. Despite consistent recommendations, perioperative cognitive risk assessment remains largely overlooked. We explored which dynamic electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns are correlated with cognitive subdomains significantly affected by surgery and anesthesia. Methods:This was a secondary analysis of two prospective observational studies that included patients undergoing elective laparoscopic abdominal or pelvic surgery under general anesthesia. Cognition was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Exam, 2nd edition (MMSE-2) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) within one week before and up to 48 h after surgery. Frontal EEG was recorded pre-induction to extubation. Cognitive subdomains and EEG changes were explored using linear regression and accuracy analyses. Results:Data were obtained from 23 surgical patients (median [IQR] age, 63 [16] years; 52% female). Auditory-verbal delayed recall (MMSE-2, p = 0.001 AUC = 0.76 [0.62-0.89]; MoCA, p < 0.001 AUC = 0.75 [0.6-0.89]) and processing speed (MMSE-2, p < 0.001 AUC = 0.85 [0.72-0.95]) were significantly affected postoperatively. Delta power at the end of maintenance, changes in theta, alpha power, aperiodic slope, offset were correlated with processing speed changes. Conclusion:Dynamic EEG patterns were correlated with processing speed changes. Integrating EEG into perioperative risk assessment may contribute to early identification of vulnerability. Significance:This study demonstrates the correlation between changes in perioperative EEG and cognitive subdomains.
Objective:To evaluate the feasibility and clinical utility of arcuate fasciculus cortico-cortical evoked potentials (AF-CCEP) and axono-cortical evoked potentials (AF-ACEP) during perisylvian supratentorial tumor surgery, and examine whether morphology changes serve as electrophysiological biomarkers of postoperative language function. Methods:We analysed 19 patients with tumors involving or adjacent to the arcuate fasciculus across multiple tertiary centers. AF-CCEPs were elicited by monophasic stimulation toward the inferior frontal gyrus and recorded over the middle or posterior superior temporal gyrus; AF-ACEPs were obtained via subcortical bipolar stimulation. Primary outcomes explored N1 morphology pre- and post-resection, with subgroup analyses by tumor grade, location, montage, and anesthesia. Results:822 AF-CCEPs and 134 AF-ACEPs were acquired intraoperatively; 133 and 37 matched recordings were included for analysis, respectively. Post-resection N1 peak amplitude increased cohort-wide, while onset latency remained stable. One patient demonstrated signal loss associated with postoperative aphasia. AF-ACEP amplitudes were higher under general anesthesia, in higher-grade tumors, and with proximity to the AF on tractography. Conclusions:AF-CCEP and AF-ACEP are feasible intraoperative adjuncts, with signal degradation associated with language morbidity. Post-resection amplitude increases may reflect intact AF conduction with increased cortical excitability following tumor removal. Significance:When awake craniotomy is contraindicated, AF-CCEP and AF-ACEP may represent a viable alternative for monitoring AF integrity and reducing postoperative language morbidity.
Objective: To provide preliminary reference data for thermal quantitative sensory testing (QST) at the foot dorsum in healthy Vietnamese adults and to examine associations with demographic and metabolic variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 68 healthy Vietnamese adults (23-80 years). Participants were screened to exclude diabetes and prediabetes according to ADA 2024 criteria. Cold Detection Threshold (CDT), Warm Detection Threshold (WDT), and Heat Pain Threshold (HPT) were assessed bilaterally at the foot dorsum using the Q-Sense device and the Method of Limits protocol. Reference intervals (2.5th-97.5th percentiles) were estimated using non-parametric methods. Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate associations with age, sex, BMI, LDL-C, triglycerides, and HbA1c. Results: Bilateral symmetry supported the use of averaged bilateral values. Age was independently associated with all QST parameters (CDT β = -0.0299; WDT β = 0.0801; HPT β = 0.0739; all p < 0.001). In the reduced model, BMI was associated with CDT (β = 0.0929, p = 0.030), but this was not observed in the full model. LDL-C was associated with WDT in both models (β = 0.0122, p = 0.007; β = 0.0121, p = 0.011). Sex was not consistently associated with any parameter. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary reference data for thermal QST in a Vietnamese population. Age was the most determinant of thermal thresholds. LDL-C was associated with warm detection thresholds, while BMI was not significant in the full model. Significance: These data may support interpretation of thermal QST in clinical practice.
BackgroundBiopsy is the only definitive method for diagnosing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC) in the preoperative setting. With the increasing use of neoadjuvant therapy, alternative diagnostic modalities would aid in cases where fine-needle aspiration(FNA) is inconclusive or challenging. We hypothesized that radiomic signatures generated from computed tomography(CT) scans can help diagnose PDAC with high fidelity and radiologic/radiomics features have utility in predicting clinical outcomes.MethodsPatients with PDAC who underwent oncologic pancreatectomy from 2017-2019 were selected. Preoperative CT scans were reviewed by two body radiologists and two pancreatic surgeons. Tumors were segmented using two radiomics software platforms(Platform A&B).ResultsTwenty-five patients were included (n = 20 PDAC,n = 5 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(pNET)). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered in 80% of PDAC patients, and 60% underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Platform A extracted 455 independent radiomics features and Platform B extracted 2078 radiomics features corresponding to shape, texture, filter, and intensity. One principal component from the shape feature group showed significant discrimination between PDAC and pNET, within both Platform A and B(area under the curve(AUC) = 0.81,p = 0.038 and AUC=0.89,p = 0.017, respectively). Additionally, a gray-level co-occurrence matrix sum entropy feature identified with Platform B differentiated malignant pancreatic tissue from normal parenchyma and PDAC from normal gland(p < 0.05).ConclusionRadiologic/radiomic features are reliable tools for PDAC diagnosis and associate with clinical outcomes. An improved understanding of PDAC radiomics may have implications for prognosis, margin status, and treatment response assessments.
Background/AimThis study aimed to evaluate the discriminatory performance of routinely accessible hematological, inflammatory, and nutritional biomarkers in differentiating patients with gastric cancer (GC) from healthy controls, and to examine their contribution within multivariable models after adjustment using Propensity Score Matching (PSM).MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted using laboratory and demographic data from 109 GC patients and 152 healthy controls between 2020 and 2025. To reduce age- and sex-related imbalance between groups, 1:1 PSM was performed. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess discriminatory performance, and exploratory multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to identify independent marker combinations associated with GC.ResultsAfter PSM, GC patients exhibited significantly lower hemoglobin, hematocrit, albumin, lymphocyte counts, and PNI values, alongside significantly higher platelet counts and inflammatory indices (SII, PLR, MLR, NLR, PIV) (all p<0.001). Among individual biomarkers, hemoglobin (AUC=0.830) and PLR (AUC=0.806) demonstrated the highest discriminatory performance. In exploratory multivariable models, reduced Hb, elevated PLT, low ALB, and low LYM were associated with GC in Model 1 (Nagelkerke R2=0.597; AUC=0.89), while PLR, PNI, and SII were associated with GC in Model 2 (Nagelkerke R2=0.492; AUC=0.839).ConclusionRoutinely available hematologic, inflammatory, and nutritional markers may serve as practical adjunctive tools for pre-endoscopic risk stratification in gastric cancer. Prospective validation in clinically representative populations is needed before broader clinical integration.
Introduction Mindfulness and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulate brain networks implicated in psychopathology. This study investigated the synergistic effects of concurrent anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and treadmill walking for Focused Mindfulness (TW-FM) on effective directional brain connectivity for focused mindfulness. Methods Seventy-seven healthy participants were assigned to three groups: Active tDCS with Mindful walking (Active-MW), Sham tDCS with MW (Sham-MW), or Active tDCS during Resting State (Active-RS) by combining data sets from two individual studies. Isolated effective coherence (iCoh) in the theta and alpha bands was analyzed using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Results Active tDCS significantly reduced information flow from the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) within the Default Mode Network (DMN). Furthermore, the mindfulness intervention significantly attenuated the flow from the rACC to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the flow from the left inferior parietal lobe to the mPFC. Notably, Active tDCS strengthened interhemispheric Executive Control Network (ECN) connectivity from the right to the left DLPFC. Conversely, the Active-MW group exhibited reduced alpha band connectivity from the right DLPFC to the rACC compared to the other groups. Conclusions The combined intervention elicited hierarchical decoupling of the DMN. tDCS suppressed bottom-up emotional pathways, whereas mindfulness inhibited the propagation of salient signals to self-referential processing. Simultaneously, the intervention strengthened top-down executive control. These findings suggest that combining tDCS with mindful walking effectively ameliorates DMN-dominant/ECN-recessive imbalance., highlighting its potential as a clinical tool to facilitate mindfulness engagement.
Background Ovarian cancer remains one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies, largely due to delayed diagnosis and limited effectiveness of current biomarkers. Identifying candidate biomarkers through integrated gene expression analysis may enhance understanding of OC biology and support future diagnostic and prognostic investigations. Methods Four microarray datasets were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus and analyzed using the limma package in R to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through a bidirectional filter (|log 2 FC| ≥ 1.2). Overlapping DEGs across all four datasets were subjected to Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed using the STRING database, and hub genes were identified by consensus across three centrality algorithms in Cytoscape. Prognostic significance was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis via GEPIA2; diagnostic performance was assessed using Youden Index-based ROC analysis; and external validation was performed using an independent dataset. Results A total of 209 overlapping DEGs were identified, yielding 35 hub genes. Functional enrichment analysis implicated cell cycle dysregulation, metabolic reprogramming, and extracellular matrix remodeling as central biological processes. TRIP13, FGF13, and LYVE1 were significantly associated with overall survival, while ALDH1A1, GATA6, and WNT5A were associated with disease-free survival. KDR demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy, and external validation confirmed the generalizability of the diagnostic findings. Conclusion This study identifies a panel of candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in ovarian cancer, providing a molecular framework for future experimental validation and translational investigation.
Background The association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and lung cancer risk remains controversial. Here, we used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to test the causal relationship between EBV and lung cancer. Methods Data regarding lung cancer (outcomes) were collected from the Finnish database; the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) summary-level dataset for EBV was obtained from the Open Forum Infect Dis. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as a primary analytical approach; weighted median, MR-Egger, and weighted mode methods were used to ensure the robustness of the data. The MR-Egger regression assessed horizontal pleiotropy, and the MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) method identified potential outliers. Cochran’s Q test evaluated heterogeneity among instrumental variables (IVs). Results IVW analysis indicated several significant causal effects. Genetically elevated levels of EBV ZEBRA and EBNA-1 antibodies increased the risk of SQC (OR=1.26 and OR=1.33, respectively). Increased EBNA-1 antibodies also raised the risk of overall lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Conversely, higher VCA p18 antibody levels were associated with a decreased risk of lung adenocarcinoma (OR=0.70). Sensitivity analyses suggested these findings were robust, with no significant evidence of horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Conclusion Our data suggests a causal effect between EBV and the progression of lung cancer.
Objective:This study aims to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive enhancement through transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) by analyzing Stroop task performance and electroencephalography (EEG) data. Methods:Twenty-three healthy adults (12 males; aged 19-40) were randomly assigned to either the taVNS or sham group. The Stroop task was administered in three sessions, with taVNS (3 Hz, 0.5 mA for 10 min) applied between sessions. EEG data were collected before and after the experiment, as well as during the Stroop task, for further analysis. Results:The taVNS group showed higher accuracy than the sham group under the incongruent condition in Session 3 (p < .05), consistent with differences in signal detection metrics, suggesting changes in decision processes. Across sessions, beta-band power increased during task performance in the sham group, whereas this increase was attenuated in the taVNS group. This effect was most pronounced in the high beta range (20-30 Hz) at the Fp1 channel (FDR-corrected q < 0.05). Conclusion:taVNS attenuated the task-related escalation in high beta-band power typically observed during sustained Stroop performance, thereby mitigating cognitive demand and enhancing response accuracy. Significance:These results position taVNS as a promising non-invasive intervention for strengthening cognitive control in healthy individuals.
Objective: Verb generation is associated with significant lateralized beta desynchronization in language but also motor related areas. Subsequent Memory Effect (SME) paradigms comprise receptive language and memory tasks. The current study examined whether lateralized beta patterns in language and/or motor related areas can be obtained with the receptive SME paradigm. Methods: MEG was recorded in 20 healthy right-handed adults during encoding and recognition phases of a word SME task. Measurements were repeated after 7-10 days to assess reliability. Post-stimulus beta (13-35 Hz) decrease was analyzed, and lateralization indices (LI > 0.1 indicating left dominance) were evaluated. Regions of interest (ROI) included IFG pars opercularis and triangularis (IFGO, IFGT), supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and precentral gyrus (PreCG). An exploratory analysis included additional AAL regions. Results: Significant beta desynchronization within the ROIs was observed in 65-90% of participants. Lateralization was successful in up to 79% in the IFGT during encoding, 76% during recognition and 100% in the IFGO in encoding-recognition concordant cases. Exploratory analyses showed strong left lateralization in frontal, temporal and especially parietal areas. Initial reliability was limited, yet within-session concordance showed robust dominance with up to 100% concordance. Significant lateralized beta desynchronization was observed in the PreCG in 70-90% of participants. Conclusion: The SME paradigm shows promise in healthy participants, warranting investigation in patients with atypical language organization. Significance: Language related beta desynchronization is also observed in a receptive SME-task. Lateralized beta desynchronization in motor areas however suggest their contribution in verbal working memory and semantic control.
